


Cutscenes

by BiffElderberry



Category: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 18:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17048720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiffElderberry/pseuds/BiffElderberry
Summary: The 5 times Jumanji sucked, and the one time it sucked slightly less.





	Cutscenes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lc2l](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lc2l/gifts).



> A note on the Major Character Death Archive Warning: Deaths are cannon compliant in the sense that he's not really dead, just lost a life. Deaths depicted are the ones mentioned in the movie for Alex. 
> 
> -
> 
> I have so many thoughts and feelings about Alex. Honestly he was my favorite character but he kind of breaks the plot. For example, does Nigel also give him the jaguar's eye? and Alex just loses it? Or does Alex never get it? Does Alex even have the same quest as the others? If he had come in with Spencer and Co. Would he have started in the same place as the others? - which leads to another issue, how pre-programed are the NPCs. For Example, in the aftermath of the bazaar fight Van Pelt makes a comment about Seaplane crawling out of hiding. But that would imply that Van Pelt has more sentience than say Nigel, the little child in the bazaar and the bread seller - or that Alex starts out away from the others... Basically, I have a lot of thoughts and questions about Alex.
> 
> So since several of my own questions fell in line with your prompts, I thought it would be best to explore Alex's life in Jumanji. I wrote this in the 5+1 format - the other title more in line with that format was "The 5 times Jumanji sucked, and the one time it sucked slightly less" but Cutscenes was a little shorter so I went with that lol. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!!

1. 

 

"What the hell is going on?" Alex asked, flailing as he got into the jeep that stopped in front of him. He had no idea who this was, but he was running from a raging hippo so he really didn't care.

"Jefferson McDonough, the rascal pilot," the man greeted in an English accent. "Nigel Billingsly at your service. I've been so anxious for your arrival."

Alex had so many questions, but for now, he was just happy to not be running for his life. The last thing he remembered he had plug the strange game cartridge into his Atari, then the lights had gone weird and he was in the tall grass by the river.

"Holy crap, am I in the game? Am I in Jumanji?" Alex asked. He recognized the name, Jefferson McDonough. He had picked that name off the character list. If that was the case -

Alex grabbed the rearview mirror, twisting it to look at himself. Gone was the lanky teenage face that had graced his mirror every morning for the past 3 years. He reached up to touch his new face, sure enough, it was him, or at least the body he was currently inhabiting.

"Right you are, good sir," Nigel continued cheerfully. "It's all in the letter I sent to Dr. Bravestone. I assume he shared it with you before you came?"

"Right," Alex replied absently. Right before the game started he had been in a cutscene. It was like a movie, but worse, like he was actually experiencing it. He had been sitting in the cockpit of the airplane, a warning belling sounding. Alex knew that they had lost an engine, though he had no idea how he knew that.

"We'll see you on the ground," a muscle-bound man said, clapping Alex on the shoulder.  Alex assumed he must be Dr. Bravestone. He turned to watch the other four people jump from the plane, a pit of dread forming in his stomach. What was he supposed to do now?

He turned back to the dashboard, flicking a few switches before his vision faded out. The next thing he was on the ground the smoldering wreckage of the plane behind him. He had tried to search the wreckage, but there was an invisible barrier keeping him from the plane, so he had moved forward. Which is how he had found the hippo, and then Nigel.

"I have not seen your compatriots," Nigel frowned, "You will have to find them and work as a team to save Jumanji. It is only with the invaluable help of your associates, you must use your complementary skills to return the jewel to the Jaguar's eye and lift the curse. I'm sure you'll want to get started right away." The care came to a stop and the doors opened. "Good luck! The fate of Jumanji is in your hands."

"Right, but what if I can't find them?" Alex asked. He was playing the game alone. He might never find Dr. Bravestone or the other three characters.

"Good luck! The fate of Jumanji is in your hands."

"That's great, but what do I do," Alex asked.

"Good luck! the fate of Jumanji is in your hands."

"Fucking NPCs," Alex grumbled getting out of the car.

 

2.

 

At first, Alex thought this would be fun. He was living a video game, how much more awesome could it get? He quickly grew to hate it, however. Unlike a real game, he couldn't turn it off and go get a snack.  He had found his strengths and weaknesses, which were utter bullshit - what kind of weakness was mosquitos - and he had the weirdest tattoo on his arm. He had then wandered around the plains, for a while wishing he had a map. Several motorcycle men, who Alex assumed he was supposed to fight, but he had no weapons, drove by. Alex had hidden from them.

All in all, Alex was exhausted, dirty and annoyed by the time he found the bazaar. He practically fell on the food the moment he found the bread stand. It looked heavenly.  Warm crusty bread had always been a favorite of his.

He tore off a chunk and shoved it in his mouth, chewing gratefully. He quickly slowed though, forcing himself to swallow the bread. It didn't taste right. He tried another piece and yet still the same. It was like a bad description of bread. It was white and fluffy and chewy but still, it was wrong. It chewed like gum and tasted like ash.

Maybe something else would be better. He stopped at another stall and grabbed an apple. It too was just wrong, despite being crisp and crunchy. It was just not moist like an apple should be.

He forced himself to try more of the various foods around the bazaar until he was at least full.

Alex worked his way around the bazaar searching for anything of use. He finally found a nap sack tucked behind a crate. It would at least let him take some of the food with him. He shoved a few loaves of bread and some of the jerky into his bag. It at least had been the least offending of the foods the bazaar had to offer.

Finally, he worked his way to the last stall. It was covered in a collection of bottles. Alex was hoping to find some water, or at least an empty bottle or canteen he could use. He looked through them labels - triple sec, tequila, margarita mix? He could work with that.  

He shoved the bottles into his bag before clipping it closed.

 

3.

 

Alex realized his time in the bazaar was up when he heard the roar of the motorcycles just outside the crowd. He hadn't found any weapons in the bazaar, he had no way of defending himself. So he reasoned it would be best to avoid confrontation. He ducked through a doorway, and down an alley.

He could hear shouting behind him. Whoever the motorcycle guys were they were closing in on him. Alex saw a grate in the ground. He slid next to it wrenching it from the ground. He let out a sigh of relief when it lifted - he hadn't even been sure the game would render whatever ran beneath the bazaar. He scrambled through the grate, barely grabbing the rope ladder in his haste to escape. The grate thudded as it sealed back over him.

Alex climbed down the ladder slowly. Above him hear could hear boots stamping the ground, but none of the men seemed interested in the grate.

Slowly Alex began to explore the underground system. It reminded him of something out of Indiana Jones. He managed to dodge the shooting spears with ease, having noted the speared skeleton at the end of the hall. The slicing blades almost got him, but he moved slow enough to figure out the pattern.

Alex was pretty proud of himself for making it through the first two traps, but he wasn't going to get cocky. Which is why when he made it to the alligator pits, he knew exactly what he needed to do. Obviously, since there was no board, or rope there it was something he should be able to jump.

This was after all a video game.

Alex got a running start and lept gracefully off the edge of the cliff. He could see the other side. He was going to make it. His foot slipped against the edge. Fear gripped him as he slid down the edge of the cliff, his fingers unable to find a hold.

He was falling.

He heard the splash as he landed in the murky water. He was aware of how the water instantly soaked him, filling his nose and lungs.

And then pain. It bit him deeply, tearing at his flesh. It felt more real than anything he had ever felt before.

Then he was falling again.

Alex landed in the bazaar. The motorcycle men were gone, he was safe.

But he couldn't shake a feeling that something very bad was happening.

 

4.

 

It took Alex longer than he was proud of to figure out that time didn't move in Jumanji. He should have realized it earlier- it was after all a video game. It was just so realistic it was easy to forget. There had been nothing significant about that realization. It just hit him one day.

He had stayed in the bazaar after the alligator incident to wait for the mysterious missing party members he was supposed to be waiting for, and the day just seemed to drag on. He had found a rooftop with some shade to watch from and kept finding his eyes closing. His brain ached and he had already eaten all the bread from his knapsack when he realized it.

Time never moved in video games. It would always be noon unless the specific scene called for night time.

Which just made him wonder, how long had he been here waiting?  How long will he have to wait for the other 4 people he needed to finish the game?  

"Screw it," he muttered. He would find a dark place to nap for a while and then try to finish the game on his own. How hard could that be?

 

5.

 

Originally, Alex was convinced he could finish the game without the other characters. After all, if the game would let him in as a single player than it had to be finishable in a single player mode right? That was only fair.

But Jumanji didn't play fair.

It took a long time for the guards to leave the door to the transportation shed open. Alex assumed it had been three weeks since he had slept 21 times on that same hill, but the sun hadn't set, it never set.

Alex had first tried the hot air balloon - it had seemed odd enough that he thought maybe it was the answer. From up in the hot air balloon maybe he could get a bird's eye view of Jumanji and find the way home.

However it turned out that Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough the rascal pilot had no idea how to fly a hot air balloon and neither did Alex.  He managed to get it up, and away from the transportation shed, but crashed in some trees before he could get enough altitude.

This time he would try something more direct - the jet. He was sure he could pilot it.

The guards returned while he was strapping in, but Alex had enough of a head start that he was able to get the jet out of the shed and into the air before the guards could really do anything.

He thought he had made his escape. But then he saw other planes on the radar.

"Holy fuck," he swore twisting the controls as one of the other planes fired on him. The shot clipped his wing.

The dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. His plane was on fire, again. He was going to crash. He flicked a few switches rerouting the power. If only he could set the plane down somewhere he could try again.

He didn't even see the second missile coming.

Suddenly he was falling.

He just lay on the ground where he fell, an intense feeling of dread washing over him. He was down to one life now, if the tattoo on his arm was any indication. He knew he had to make it past the transportation shed to complete the game, but did it even really matter?

Nigel had said he had to find the other four players. He would just have to wait for them to appear.  

 

+1.

 

Alex lost track of how many days he had been in Jumanji. He had found the home of Alan Parish out in the jungle not far from the underground path to the bazaar. He set up his own home base stocked with rations, tequila, triple sec, and a small battery operated blender. Every day he went to the bazaar to wait, and when he got too tired he would return to the tree house to drown in margaritas and sleep.

Every day was the same. The same bustle sounds of the bazaar. The same bread seller yelling about rations. The same people moving in the same pattern.

Alex would watch from a rooftop, and just let the familiarity of it all wash over him. Until one day something different happened.

"Oh my god, this is so good. I haven't had bread since I was 9."

Alex perked up, that was different. He looked at the bustling below.

"Are you serious?"

He grinned. There they were. The key to getting out of this hell hole.


End file.
